In response to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), the government has excluded local (town and parish) councils from council tax referendum principles in 2024/2025.
The government published their response in the Local Government Finance Policy Statement for 2024/2025. The statement outlined proposed referendum principles, including a core council tax referendum 3% limit for local authorities and exemptions for mayoral combined authorities and local councils.
Local councils having the freedom to set their precept without holding a referendum is one of the key asks in NALC's manifesto. NALC's chair, Cllr Keith Stevens, has continually advocated for this with ministers and parliamentarians over the last year.
NALC is committed to engaging with the government on local councils' financial challenges and will respond to the finance settlement in the coming weeks.